New research has found that women are given electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at far higher rates than men and are more likely to suffer long-term memory loss and other harmful effects. The study, published in the August edition of Health Care for Women International, gathered responses from 858 people in 44 countries who had received ECT, with nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) being women, making it the largest survey of its kind.
Survey Findings on Gender Disparities
According to independent research published by the British Psychological Society, around 2,500 people receive ECT each year in the UK. The survey found that women “fared worse on nearly every measure of outcome,” including lower rates of reported mood improvement and significantly higher reports of both short- and long-term memory loss. Only 15% of women said they would undergo ECT again, compared with 29% of men.
The researchers also found that women were more likely to say they were given less information before treatment, faced greater pressure or coercion to consent, and were treated by predominantly male psychiatrists. Globally, 81% of psychiatrists administering ECT were men. Some women described the experience as traumatic, with accounts including being held down and having the procedure “done to” them against their will, reawakening memories of past abuse and suffering lasting fear of future treatment.
Personal Accounts and Expert Commentary
Lisa Morrison, from Belfast, is lead author of the study and a rape survivor. She waived her right to anonymity to speak about her experience. She claimed that repeated inpatient admissions and treatment with psychiatric drugs and ECT left her “more and more unwell.” She said: “The many diagnoses I received reinforced in me the devastating messages so many women internalise - I’m to blame. I’m bad. This is my shame.”
Lisa admitted how the treatment left her struggling with memory loss, losing a “whole year” of her life. She said: “It was a few years after all the treatments ended that I realised significant chunks of my memory, especially of my children, were gone. It’s of my two-year-old son. I had a career break to look after him. I cannot remember doing this. A whole year of my life. And my daughter was only four at the time. Blank.” She added: “Realising I wasn’t told the truth, not offered appropriate alternatives and now living with the devastating consequences of this invasive treatment, does feel like another kind of rape.”
Sarah Hancock, a co-author based in San Diego, said: “It is profoundly disorienting to have no frame of reference for daily interactions with family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, let alone erasing all education, work experience and cultural cues. Shared memories and life experiences are the foundation of relationships and identity. Erase them and I became a rudderless ship without an anchor.” She also cited warnings in the Thymatron System IV instruction manual, which states: “In rare cases, ECT may result in a dense and persistent retrograde amnesia extending to years…” and adds: “In rare cases, patients may experience permanent memory loss or permanent brain damage.”
Reactions and Regulatory Response
Dr Lucy Johnstone, consultant clinical psychologist in Bristol, said: “I have had a number of women clients who were prescribed ECT for distress related to rape or domestic abuse. This is not treatment. It is re-traumatisation, and it must stop.” Professor John Read, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, said: “Our findings show that women not only receive ECT more often but are also more likely to suffer its most damaging effects. These patterns cannot be dismissed as coincidence. They reflect systemic biases in psychiatry and underline the urgent need for a trauma-informed, feminist perspective on mental health care.” He added: “Information about sex differences in risk and outcome must be routinely given to women and their families. ECT should not be the default response to women’s suffering.”
The NHS claims ECT is “generally safe” and its usage in the UK is approved by NICE. A NICE spokesperson said: “ECT is recommended only in restricted circumstances when other treatments have not worked, or when a condition is potentially life-threatening. It is not a routine or first-line treatment. Before ECT is considered and offered, clinicians must weigh up the individual risks and benefits, including the potential for cognitive impairment. Where patients have capacity, consent must be given freely and without coercion, and they must be made aware of their right to withdraw it at any time. In cases where a patient lacks capacity, any decision to proceed with treatment is made within a strict legal framework and must comply with relevant legislation. We keep our guidance under review as new evidence emerges.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with anyone who has experienced harm or distressing side effects following ECT. Patient safety is paramount to us and we take all accounts of this kind incredibly seriously. It is NICE who is responsible for issuing national guidance and advice and ensuring that this reflects the best available evidence. Clinical guidance from NICE is clear that patients must be fully informed of the risks and side effects before any decision is made, and that appropriate precautions must be taken throughout.”
